The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-09-03

usual number of dudes hung around outside of the church door, eyeing the girls, which Joe took to be out of place and read the riot act to the con- gregation by calling each dudes name, adding they would be liable to arrest for disturbing religious assemblies.
 Out here in Slushy Gulch we can make good showing when collec- tion is taken up for the grand object of sending the gospel to the heather, but in the congregation attending Joe's new church jangle had been started about what kind of men should go to these heathen, and what sort of a gospel they should carry with them. Some argued that if missionaries went to a heathen country and found on their arrival that large majority of the citizens had gone away to some distant land for a grand hunting and fishing time, which might last for a year or more, they would have no chance to see or hear the good tidings:;" that if they died in the meantime the prospects for landing ill the "happy hunting ground" were mighty slim. Others with more char 1 ity in their hearts contended that no one was responsible for what he never had chance to learn during his nat ural life.
 One over-anxious deacon tried to 1 lay down some cast-iron rules to which every would-be missionary must subscribe and give his assent to before sailing for heathendom. Joe resolved himself into committee of one to notify this very persistent dea- con that he must not "(h)and over" any such rules to enterprising young men who were full of human sympa- thy for their foreign brethren.
 Pards, Joe was always busy. The few idle hours which came to him were filled up with the company of a first-cla book, taken from his own small but select library, where the bi- ble his mother gave him stood at the head. You would look in vain to find any of the "yellow covered" there. No thrilling, hair breadth es- capes of some wonderful detective, who never had an existence except over in Canada, adorned his shelves, no improbable history of the "Obis, or Three Fingered Jacks" lay around loose on the center table to poison the minds of his children, no gushy tales of French intrigue, love and murder devoured his moments on the Sabbath day.
 Pards, you can find few faults with Joe-you can with the best men of earth-but tor real steady, first class efforts to work out reforms, let me advise you to read Joe's history from beginning to end it will do you good to copy after him in his bold strikes for the right. Mark we'll the tenderness he bore toward these heart less brethren who sought to do him an injury. His care for that aged father and his household during the long famine in that land, showed he kept that command to "honor thy father and mother" though he never dreamed about the tables of stone of later days.
 Pards, let us have more Joes in Slushy Gulch camp, and not write out the Lords prayer, creed and ten com mandments, hang them up on the bedpost, then turn in with sort of "There, Lord, them's my sentiments" Carry them with you every day. If you don't, when the time comes for you to swim the Styx river at high tide sudden fit of the cramps may take you to the bottom. Then, how you will curse the bedpost theory of salvation.
 I notice in the audience a few of the members of our colored minstrel troupe-good singers. Let us rise and sing the doxology and be dis